Louisiana’s Plan to Empower Parents Through School Choice

Rachel Sheffield /
January 30, 2012

According to Dr. Michael Walker Jones of the Louisiana Association of Educators, low-income parents “don’t have a clue” when it comes to making decisions about their children’s education. Last week, in an interview with the New Orleans Times-Picayune, he stated: “If I’m a parent in poverty, I have no clue because I’m trying to struggle and live day-to-day.”

The union leader’s comments are just the type of top-down, arrogant, elitist mentality that has badly damaged our system of public education in this country. I believe that parents—regardless of their income or circumstances—know what’s best for their children. It’s ridiculous and insulting to say that parents can’t make decisions in the best interest of their children.

The plan also includes expanding the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program—a program for children from low-income families (below 250 percent of the poverty line) attending underperforming public schools in New Orleans. The governor proposes expanding the program to low-income students statewide who are attending schools graded at “C” or below. This translates to approximately 70 percent of the state’s students being eligible for the program.

Instead of pushing parents out of one of the most important decisions of their children’s lives, the governor’s plan supports families by opening up the doors of educational opportunity. It boosts the likelihood that a child—regardless of his or her background—will receive a quality education, giving greater hope for a promising future.